Lelo’s Tazo Datunashvili and For Georgia’s Giorgi Sharashidze cited systemic violations and tampered equipment.
04/10/2025
Protests in Tbilisi, Georgia, against the ruling pro-Russian party Georgian Dream on the local election day, 4 October 2025. Photos: Nini Gabritchidze/Civil.ge
Georgia’s pro-Russian ruling party, Georgian Dream, claimed a sweeping victory in local elections held on 4 October, while tens of thousands took to the streets demanding their removal. Civil Georgia reports that as opposition forces rallied in Tbilisi, the authorities responded with repression, riot police, and force.
Previously, the Georgian Dream party reversed Georgia’s path toward EU accession, steering the country closer to Russia and sidelining opposition MPs. It imposed a Russian-style “foreign agents” law and froze EU accession talks until 2028. The pro-EU protests that followed were met with harsh state crackdowns.
Early voting marred by reported violations
As voting began, opposition parties reported multiple irregularities. In the afternoon, Civil Georgia cited allegations from Lelo/Strong Georgia and its electoral ally For Georgia. Lelo’s Tazo Datunashvili said the party documented vote-buying, carousel voting, and obstruction by precinct commission members who blocked installation of surveillance cameras.
He also highlighted a “trend” of voters allegedly receiving two ballots instead of one, and said that electronic registration devices had been damaged at polling stations in the oblasts.
Giorgi Sharashidze from For Georgia voiced similar concerns. He said ruling party representatives were present near polling stations, checking voter lists and intimidating voters. He also reported breaches of ballot secrecy and further cases of double ballot issuance.
Protest momentum builds across Tbilisi
Later in the day, students and then other protesters began marching from the first building of Tbilisi State University in the Vake district toward Parliament. Crowds grew steadily on the capital’s main street, Rustaveli Avenue, as demonstrators united for what was announced as a “peaceful revolution.”
By the late afternoon, tens of thousands had gathered on Liberty Square, awaiting a major announcement from opera singer Paata Burchuladze, one of the central figures in the protest movement aiming at “peacefully overthrowing” the Georgian Dream government.
Opposition declares power returned to the people
As evening approached, United National Movement member Murtaz Zodelava addressed the demonstrators. He announced that state power had “reverted to the people” and called on the rally to mobilize and reclaim the presidential palace. He urged the “male force” in the crowd to act.
Riot police quickly responded by emerging from the palace and deploying pepper spray.
Shortly afterward, Georgia’s Fifth President Salome Zurabishvili wrote on X:
“This mockery of taking over the presidential palace can only be staged by the regime to discredit the 310 days peaceful protest of the Georgian people. As the legitimate President, I formally reject this and continue standing with my people peacefully until we win new elections.”
Regime crackdown intensifies
Not long after, Georgia’s Interior Ministry claimed the rally had violated the Law on Assembly and Manifestation. According to Civil Georgia, the ministry accused the organizers of inciting violence, damaging security bars on the presidential palace, and attempting to break inside.
By nightfall, riot police used tear gas and water cannons against protesters on Atoneli Street near the palace. Sirens blared through the area as demonstrators were urged to disperse.
Soon after, protesters set fire to barricades near Liberty Square. Police deployment intensified across central Tbilisi.
Ruling party mocks protest while claiming total victory
Later that evening, Georgian Dream posted on Facebook that it had won the elections in all municipalities in the first round.
“We started on the 4th and finished on the 4th,” the post read — a mocking reference to the protest movement’s slogan about toppling the regime in one day.
Shortly after, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze held a briefing, even though the Central Election Commission had not yet released official results. He stated the ruling party had surpassed 70% in all municipalities and claimed voter turnout exceeded 1,430,000 — a figure he described as “very high” for local elections.
The protests in Tbilisi continued at the time of publication.
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Georgian ruling party using Ukraine’s war destruction as campaign material, “crawling before Moscow”
Pro-Russian Georgian Dream party continuing pattern of weaponizing Ukrainian trauma to intimidate voters.
Ivanishvili and Kobakhidze have created their own bullshit hybrid putlerist conspiracy theory, named the “Global War Party.”
Wiki:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_War_Party
A pro-mafia scumbag also won in Czechia.
As Czechs hate ruZZia; especially Moravians, one must conclude that there was either putinaZi election tampering and/or a depthcharge of putinaZi slurry/kremkrapp dropped.
Like Ivanishvili, Babiš is a putinaZi agent/custodian of putinaZi money.
I always wonder how people can be so stupid to vote for such garbage all the time, just like the maga morons in the US.
May God bless and keep these protesters safe.